Kaleidoscopic

Multi-colored bits of glass
Tin boxes full of rattling buttons
Polka-dots on little girl dresses
Varicolored jellybeans in a jar

Science tells us
We are attracted to these things –
Multitudes in prismatic array –
Because they give us a feeling of plenty

Dot stickers in rainbow colors
Plastic bins of building blocks
Cupcakes covered in sprinkles
Bright fish darting through coral reefs

Deprivation dogged our ancestors
So they filled their larders with jars
The bins and barrels and boxes
Made people feel safe for the winter

Christmas trees decked with lights
Colored markers standing in a cup
Glittery beads sliding on a string
Fancy flowers arranged in a vase

Next time you crave colored candy
Or buy yourself a box of crayons
It may, in part, be nostalgia
Or it’s your ancestors keeping you alive